Toxic Ship BLUE LADY to be Allowed into Indian Waters
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The “M/V BLUE LADY” will be allowed to enter Indian territorial waters after all. The vessel believed by environmentalists to be carrying asbestos has been granted permission by the Indian Supreme Court to anchor in Indian waters. The vessel, which is scheduled to be dismantled in India, is estimated to be carrying 900 tons of toxic waste. The court said that the ship should be allowed to anchor so that it could be inspected by a committee of technical experts on shipwrecking. After that a decision could be made concerning scrapping the vessel in a safe manner. This same vessel was turned away from Bangladesh in February on the grounds that it was too toxic.
The “Blue Lady” is the former “SS France,” which was renamed the “SS Norway.” It was renamed the “Blue Lady” after being sold by its French owners in 1979. The 1,000+ foot vessel departed Port Klang in Malaysia on May 6 under tow after being sold to Indian shipbreakers by its Malaysian owners, Star Cruises.
The Indian courts also took into consideration that the ship’s crewmembers, among which there are 13 Indians, should be allowed to be repatriated. The approaching monsoon was also cited as a reason for allowing the vessel to anchor, because the storms could damage the vessel, which has no engines to power itself.
On May 12th, the environmental group Ban Asbestos Network petitioned the court to ban the ship outright from entering Indian waters. Instead, the Supreme Court appointed an expert panel and requested a vessel condition report by July. And, although the court has ruled that the vessel be allowed to be beached in Indian waters on humanitarian grounds, environmentalists have taken solace in the fact that no permission to break the ship in India has yet to be given.